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The subgenus Anicla, commonly known as green cutworms, harbours some of the owlet moths (Lepidoptera: Noctuinae), whose larvae are notable for their economic importance. Knowledge of the immature stages for this group is available for three of the nine described species. Anicla infecta Ochsenheimer, 1816 is widely distributed in the Americas and is especially abundant in agricultural ecosystems. However, in the Neotropics, its economic damage can be confused with sympatric species, including Anicla ignicans (Guenée, 1852), whose distributions overlap in most parts of the American continent. In this sense, here, the identity of A. ignicans is investigated through its geographical distribution, based on molecular and morphological data. Additionally, the morphological and behavioural traits of immature stages were described in detail, information about its geographical distribution and larval host plants was gathered, and the species' biological parameters from larvae reared on an artificial diet were determined. Anicla ignicans is distributed throughout the Neotropical region, preferably in areas with xeric and/or grass‐dominated ecosystems. The eggs present valuable characters to distinguish A. ignicans from other owlet moth species, such as the reduced number of ribs, the way the micropyle openings are arranged and the shape of the aeropyles. However, the larvae show very similar chromatic polymorphisms to other Anicla species. Although A. ignicans prefer to feed on grasses, it was observed that more than 85% of the larvae that were fed with a modified bean‐based Greene diet survived. Additionally, the percentage of time for each phase of development obtained here is very similar for the different species of Anicla, regardless of the temperature or feeding of the larvae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite their relatively high abundance in the Neotropics, so far only a few studies investigated the immature stages of the Apatelodidae. Still, the information available belongs to a few of the typical genera of the family, e.g. Apatelodes and Olceclostera, leaving the natural history of all other described genera mostly unexplored. Here we investigated the immature stages of the Drepatelodes friburgensis(Bombycoidea: Apatelodidae), a representative of the genus sister to the remainder of Apatelodidae, aiming to contribute to a broader view of the biological aspects of this neglected Neotropical family and provide new insights into the evolution of Bombycoidea. Additionally, we present a redescription of the male and the first description of the female of D. friburgensis. Drepatelodes friburgensis shows dome-shaped eggs, covered by scales arranged in radial bands. The larvae are ornamented with two conspicuous fleshy processes (on A3 and A8). The imago has a short proboscis and M3 and CuA1 fused in the hindwing. These characters alone have not been reported for Apatelodidae and may have importance in helping to understand the evolution of the group, here we discussed these characters in an evolutionary context for the family and its relationships within the Bombycoidea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here, we describe and name a new nymphalid butterfly species in the subtribe Euptychiina. Caeruleuptychia thaliana Nakahara & Piovesan, n. sp. is proposed by incorporating three independent sources of evidence: adult external morphology, DNA sequence data, and early stage biology. Caeruleuptychia thaliana n. sp. is known from two sites in the Amazon basin, in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil, and another site situated in Madre de Dios department, Peru. A single egg of C. thaliana n. sp. was obtained while conducting field work at the latter locality, and subsequently observations were made of the larva passing through four larval stages until reaching the adult stage. The natural host plant for C. thaliana n. sp. was identified as a species of grass, Lasiacis ligulata Hitchcock & Chase (Poaceae: Panicoideae: Paniceae). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]